Analysis of Holy Sonnet XIII: What If This Present Were The World's Last Night?

John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)



What if this present were the world's last night?
Mark in my heart, O soul, where thou dost dwell,
The picture of Christ crucified, and tell
Whether that countenance can thee affright,
Tears in his eyes quench the amazing light,
Blood fills his frowns, which from his pierced head fell.
And can that tongue adjudge thee unto hell,
Which prayed forgiveness for his foes' fierce spite?
No, no; but as in my idolatry
I said to all my profane mistresses,
Beauty, of pity, foulness only is
A sign of rigour: so I say to thee,
To wicked spirits are horrid shapes assigned,
This beauteous form assures a piteous mind.


Scheme ABBAABBACDECFF
Poetic Form
Metre 1111000111 1011111111 010111001 101100111 1011100101 1111111111 0111011101 1101011111 1111010100 1111101100 1011010101 011111111 11010110101 11101011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 605
Words 111
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 480
Words per stanza (avg) 109
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

33 sec read
236

John Donne

John Donne was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and a cleric in the Church of England. more…

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